It's from 1997. Things may have improved, I don't follow HR research. But it's at least a description of how things can go wrong, and probably still do.
Summary: Most managers report that their company's mission statement is ineffective, and many report that it's counter productive. Employee involvement in creating the mission statement is correlated with positive influence on behavior, yet that involvement is rare. Free coffee cups for everyone!
> Edit: Thinking back, some mission statements worked well. "A computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software" comes to mind.
AFAIK, in management parlance, that would be a "vision statement". Mission statements seem to be a little more nuts-and-bolts. But I only remember this because the Microsoft one was held up as a vision statement in my business classes. =)
After making my comment, I made a short search, and posted this: Sex, Lies and Mission Statements. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5352298
It's from 1997. Things may have improved, I don't follow HR research. But it's at least a description of how things can go wrong, and probably still do.
Summary: Most managers report that their company's mission statement is ineffective, and many report that it's counter productive. Employee involvement in creating the mission statement is correlated with positive influence on behavior, yet that involvement is rare. Free coffee cups for everyone!